Atlantis: Script progress

I signed up on Scripped.com and started writing the movie: Atlantis.  No Sea Devils yet, but you can be sure that they will show up.

Some notes:
Wizards and Druids = the Wise.  I don't want to call them wizards or sorcerers, I want to downplay it as much as possible.  The Wise are capable of casting magic.  There are different traditions that the wise follows.

There are scientists in the script, and it seems to be focused on science.

Priests = They are also part of the Wise.


I've got three pages done already.  I'll be adding more later.  The script has the feeling of "Star Wars under water."  In other words, the storyforming process demanded a story focused around an event rather than a character, an idea, or a world.  The movie should be science fiction rather than fantasy.  Oh, and meet the antagonists of this movie:

Scripps and Atlantis

I'll be writing my first screenplay, Echos of Atlantis using Scripped.  But first things first, storycrafting.  It's important to get the messy details down.  I'm going for a Character Story on this one, instead of a Milieu story.  This is because the Fantasy starts right away instead of when the character gets to Atlantis.

Basic Tagline: Echos of Atlantis is about a young man who carries the blood of Atlantean Royalty.  He finds out about his heritage and must rally the Atlanteans to break the power of the Sahuagin that threaten Atlantis' existence.

The story takes place in a Fantasy America.  Where there are Wizards, Tinkers, Psions, Warriors, Thieves, and evil kings.  The Evil King Agrippa holds sway over the Kingdom of York, which includes the States of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.  Opposing Evil King Agrippa is the Puritan Socialists of Massachusetts and the Southern Crown Colonies.  What the three little petty nations don't know is that there is a movement led by a small circle of Radicals that want to get rid of their socialists, evil kings, and crown colonies once and for all and to unify the lands into a new Republic.

The Atlanteans are the survivors of an ancient deluge and occupy the cities of Cleitos, Tritonis, and Atlantis.  Atlantis is off the coast of Bermuda.  Tritonis is off the coast of Manhattan, and Cleitos is off the coast of North Carolina.  However, the Atlanteans are in disarray as their Autocrat Atalescas was slain by the Sahuagin King of Xyluff in the last campaign.

Faced with defeat, one of the Atlanteans go to Heartford to find the last known heir to the throne of Atlantis.  The one foretold that will unify the three cities of Atlantis and defeat the evil sahuagin of Xyluff once and for all.

Now doesn't that sound cool?  I think so. :)

Remember Morrowind?

Morrowind was a game that said you can do anything you like.  Even raid sacred tombs for important stuff.  The guide to Morrowind was packed with locations that had all sorts of juicy bits.  Although Morrowind wasn't as BIG as Daggerfall, the game had giving you a lot to do and explore.  A roleplaying game adventure should have these options, although usually page count prevents the writer from including some options.

Each option would be a treasure or an encounter.  I started to do this with my Atlantis adventure, almost absent mindedly.  The PCs would go there, raid a tomb, and have some fun.  Or an option led you to a strange encounter, or some treasure in some unusual places.  (in my Atlantis adventure, I already listed some interesting encounters - a Bronze Dragon and an abandoned pirate's cove).

The idea is to have fun with an adventure or video game.  I'm off to play more morrowind!! :)  And yes, I usually play a Telvanni. :)

Atlantis again...

I have been getting promptings to add to the Atlantis myth for a long time.  That is why I keep coming back to this subject.   Atlantis is one of my passions, obviously.  I've been watching a series on Magical Egypt, to see if I can get any ideas about what life was like in the mythic past.

At the moment, I'm adding a couple of special materials to D&D/Pathfinder.  Titanium Steel and Transparent Aluminum (which is a technology I think only we have but I can be wrong about that).  Transparent Aluminum (Aluminum Oxynitrate) is a special material that is, well . . . TRANSPARENT! :) It is also virtually indestructible, and is capable of being molded into glass like material.  I don't know if it can be sharpened, but for armor I do believe it will work because of its lightweight properties. Just that modest conscious people will have to wear underthings.

I have been mulling over doing a 4e version.  I don't know about that, though.  I still don't understand the SRD perfectly.  The OGL version is the one that is being written right now.  Atlantis is a place of high technology, magic, and psionics.







This particular episode of Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World shows what I'm talking about. In Atlantis, you will be able to play psions, psychic warriors (or battle minds), wizards, sorcerers and other classes.  This is the ancient mythic world, and there will be things available not usually available in a fantasy world.  Like submarines, SCUBA, and genetic engineering.  When a city of survivors is forced to live under the sea, you have to make certain advancements to live under the sea.  Domed cities would not be impossible without certain technologies -- and transparent aluminum is one of them.

I've been getting promptings for a long, long while.  And it's about time to get it all done.  I have what people said about Atlantis.  Most everything really, including Plato's letters to Critias and Timaeus.  I think I can draw on everything said about it.  Instead of being a terrestial city (which there are many RPG books written on that subject), I'm going to do the underwater aspect. 

Beneath the waves of the Sea of your campaign world are three domed cities . . . the Kingdom of Atlantis.

Atlantis -- Electra Character Reference

Every story needs a warrior.

My first Concept Art completed for my T.V. Show.

Meet Electra, formally Sakura.  Electra was once a psychic warrior soldier in the Atlantean army, thus she's descended from nobility.  However, it's a bad day when you act insubordinate to your superiors (not to mention arrogantly steeling the credit due her).  Electra was immediately sold into slavery.  She was unceremoniously stripped naked, tattooed with the word "slave" on her neck, a dragon on her body for her personality, and a flame on her face to show she has psionic potential.

bucked down from the highest turret in society to the lowest, Electra was sad and dejected.  She lashed out at her slavers, hoping her family would save her.  But they would not.  Her father is conservative and has much respect for the Atlantean Army.  He wouldn't use his influence to free his daughter.  So he left her there to wallow and rot in despair.  However, she kept up her fighting skills until the day she would be bought by a good man, or freed.

Atlantis -- Series Bible

Campaign Bibles are cool, and so are series bibles.  Lets see, where shall we start?

Long ago, before the Planet was born, the Gods sat in counsel and set about planning and constructing a world.  As all things began with a thought, so do planets.  The Gods formed the World out of Elemental Chaos, planning and organizing the Elements into a globe of a garden variety.  This world was named Earth by the Gods, and soon they had formed a colony on the planet and they themselves became mortal in order to have children.  Michael and his three wives: Eve, Sarah, and Lilith had come down to sire and bear the races of men.

From ivory skinned Eve came all those who were White -- these races soon will be known as Caucasian or Western Indo-European in later generations.

From yellow skinned Sarah came all those who are Yellow and had Asian features.  These races soon will be known as the Sino races: i.e. Mongolians, Yellow Huns, Chinese, Koreans, Indo-Chinese, Malayasians, Vietnamese, and the Japanese.

From ebony skinned Lilith came those who will be known as Africans.  However, the Titans came to Earth from the Stars in a thousand years after Michael and his wives had ascended to Heaven.  The Titans, being much more technologically advanced than the humans had conquered the world (i.e. Europe, Egypt, and Asia Minor -- also known as the Middle East).  They ruled for 500 years until their descendants -- Half Titan and half human, dethroned them.

One of these half-gods, known as Poseidon, chose to explore the ocean and surveyed all that was beyond.  After voyaging on the ocean from his native Europe, he came upon a lost continent (North America).  The continent had a people who were never subjugated by the Titans.  The land was incredibly virgin to Poseidon.

Eventually, he met a striking young woman known as Cleito, who lived with her mother and father Evanor and Elassippe.  Poseidon eventually fell in love with her and married the young maid.  Eventually, from their union, she bore him five sets of twins.

When the twins reached their teenager hood, Poseidon allowed them to explore the world.  When the Twins returned, they had learned much about all of the World and then Poseidon divided the land between them.  He then named the continent Atlantis after his first son, and named the ocean he crossed the Atlantic -- also after Atlas his first born.  Then, when the twins started their own families, Poseidon and Cleito had left for Europe.

Atlas set about helping his brothers found his cities, and left his first born son to found the City of Atlantis.  After that, the City of Atlantis has grown.  However, the wars that they took part in had wiped out an entire people -- like the people of Cainan had done to the tent dwelling people of Shum 1,500 years ago.  Having committed Genocide, the Atlanteans foreswore violence in favor of science and peace.  The pact they swore was the Symphonia Ethicos.

Flash foreword.

It's the Height of civilization in Atlantis and the Atlanteans have discovered many things in the Sciences.  They also expanded their civilization outward, affecting certain civilizations themselves.  The Atlanteans' have a priesthood, but a scientific basis on what they pursue is important to them.  Atlantean society, although open and fluid, is basically divided into:
The Elite -- which is the High Atlanteans.  These are the rich and powerful and Abundant.
The Scientists -- Which include University Professors, Museum curators, scholars, astronomers, and inventors.
The Mystics -- Which are really those that manipulate the universe psionically.  The Mystics are divided into seven different casts themselves:

• The Telepaths -- who aid in Government of the people.
• The Seers -- who comprise the Atlantean Priesthood.
• The Egoists -- who are natural Athletes.
  The Kineticists -- who deal in the willful manipulation of energy.
• The nomads -- who deal in quick transportation.
• and. . . 
• The Shapers.  Who the Priesthood dread.

Besides the Mystics, their are people who are trained to use their minds in combat.  These are known as the Psychic Warriors of Atlantis.  And beside those, there are those with potential who are not trained but figure out how to use their potential.  These are known as wilders.

The technology of Atlantis is a mixture of wierd Steamtech and Ultra-high Psi-tech.  Engineering geniuses have blended the two, as well kept some items separate and pure.  One of these items is the Obsidian Pyramid.  A small, handheld black pyramid (with scintillating Atlantean designs) that is capable of transporting a person anywhere, anywhen if used incorrectly.

Well. . . there was a problem when one of these were used.  Trouble with the Atlantean government had forced a child to use an obsidian pyramid to teleport herself away from the Authorities, even as they had killed her Master, the inventor Jason, in front of her.  She appeared in Modern Day America holding the obsidian pyramid and was found at the side of a lake by a teenager.  She then identified herself as Amestris and passed out.


~ More Later ~

Fleshing out a Scenario, pt 2

Now we have everything externally, now we have to provide what is going on in the fight scenes. A fight scene should be dramatic and fun. So we need to make sure we prop the two scenes with fun and profit.

The first fight scene introduces the Lemurians, which are a competitor nation against Atlantis (sort of like USA vs. Russia during the Cold War). The scene also reveals the Lemurians' motive for being in Magan (ancient Kenya), an Uranium depot built by the Magans. So lets list what is what in our first fight scene.

- Rumble in the African Coastal village -

Lemurian inorganics: 2 per player character level (AI controlled mecha, 4 hit points; they blow up easily)
Indumat (named Lemurian leader)
Gandira (Lemurian Sorcerer)

Set Pieces
These are the fun stuff that the enemy and the heroes interact with.

The coastal village with the fight scene takes place in a fisherman's market.

Fisherman's Stall

• There is a lot of fish. Not much work against inorganic robots, but a mullet is better than nothing. Some of them are even still alive!
• There are knives for cleaning and gutting fish
• Fishing poles
• A fisherman's net can be used on Lemurian inorganics.

Fruit Cart

• Bananas are everywhere, so are a lot of exotic African fruits.
• Fruits can be tipped over, causing everything to be slimy and slippery.
• Horned melons can be used to bash people.
• Durian fruit is imported from Khmer lands (modern day Cambodia), and is a disgustingly stinky fruit. The enemy could rub it into the PCs' faces.
• There are ropes, knives, and machetes that can be used as found weapons.

Chicken Stall

• Chickens must get loose!
• The cages can be used to bash inorganics and heroes alike.
  

- Uranium Depot -

The Uranium Depot has refined Uranium-235 bars. The Uranium was refined by the Maganese government for use in a Nuclear Power facility. The bars are highly radioactive and are kept in lead-lined containers. The Uranium is very heavy to lift due to its density (92 protons and 92 electrons, along with a mess of neutrons -- not to mention the alpha and beta particles -- and gamma rays -- it outputs).

Unnamed inorganics
Indumat
Gandira

This is the big fight scene. The inorganics are being used to handle the Uranium as the Lemurians are preparing to ship it away. If, during the fight, one of the containers is open, radiation spills into the area. Radiation kills PCs quickly, so every round take the PCs take a hit to hit points, strength, and constitution. Radiation sickness is -3 Con intially, plus -3 Con secondary damage.

A psychokinetic, particle, or magic force field can contain the Radiation.

Next: tying it all together.

Fleshing out a Scenario

in part 2 of our series on fleshing out scenarios, we will deal with the Atlantis Scenario: Adventurers of Atlantis.

Adventurers of Atlantis

Premise: There has been a rash of kidnappings of young women of late. Something the PCs scoff of until one of their girlfriends disappear.
The Twist: A strange old man is found by the PCs, who is actually an Atlantean Theorist. The PCs chase the wierd little man, only to enter a dimensional rift through space time and end up in the city of Atlantis.
The Climax: The PCs are told that a group of Lemurians are attacking Atlantean interests in Magan (modern day Kenya). The PCs battle it out with the Lemurians in Maganese lands.
The Closing: The PCs return home, and one of the PCs is given the feeling that the Atlanteans might call upon them again.

With these barebones, you have everything you need to make an interesting scenario. Now lets fill in the missing holes. There are a couple of sets:

1. The PC's Apartment
2. An alleyway
3. The City of Atlantis itself.
4. The African Coast.
5. The Kenyan countryside (where our battle takes place).

There are a couple of named NPCs.
1. Agathon (Atlantean Physics Theorist -- can also be a sorcerer)
2. Praxiteles (Atlantean governor who asks the PCs to counter the Lemurians)
3. Indumat (Lemurian commander)
4. Gandira (Lemurian sorcerer -- may be a reoccuring vile villain)

And there are mooks:
Lemurian mooks (which can be anything from Lemurian troops to inorganic machines).

Since this begins all the action, a romantic foil (a femme fatale or something else that foils the PCs) is intentionally left out. This adventure is meant to introduce the PCs to the world of Atlantis. So, we have our beginning and our end.

There are two fight scenes: the scenes introduce the Lemurians and help move the action. We need to establish why the Lemurians are attacking Atlantean interests in Mythical Kenya. Perhaps there is a gene laboratory in ancient Kenya that the Lemurians need something from.
Perhaps there is a store of Uranium that the Lemurians need for power generation.

Let us use the second, there is a store of Uranium in ancient Kenya that they need.

The first fight happens in Ophir where the PCs find out that the Lemurians are looking for an Uranium Depot, and the second fight happens around the Uranium depot itself. You just need some set pieces. Which I will reveal next time.

More Atlantean Adventure Scenarios

As I wait for my latest DAZ Studio project to actually render (yay!), I have some more Atlantean Adventure Scenario ideas. They still follow the same format: Premise, the Twist, and the Climax.

A Princess of Atlantis
The Premise: The PCs are called to Atlantis from the modern world to deal with a problem of politics. The King's daughter has been kidnapped by the Sea Peoples (other wise called the Philistines) and they are demanding a ransom from the king for the return of the Princess Antheia, his third daughter.
The Twist: The daughter has been enslaved by the lord of this particular tribe of Sea Peoples, the Prince Thamar.
The Climax: The PCs and Prince Thamar battle it on the Sea of Tartessos (Mediterranean Sea), only to witness the extremely gorgeous Princess Antheia declare herself the sex slave of the most heroic PC of the group!

The Isle of Fire
The Premise: The Isle of Fire is a place rich in minerals. But it is colonized by monsters, and only the best heroes go to face the monsters there. The Atlanteans want to form a colony there, however the Mother of All Monsters, the Echidna, also resides there. The PCs are called from the Modern Day to go to the Isle of Fire to see how to deal with the Echidna.
The Twist: One their way to the port city of Mneusis, the heroes stumble on a twenty-five feet tall giant that is immobilized by a rock with a lead symbol burned into it. The giant is none other than Typhon, but he looks positively human.
The Climax: The heroes face the Echidna, to persuade her either by the word or by the sword to allow the Atlanteans to settle and form a mining colony here.

The Hippodrome of Atlantis
The Premise: The PCs go to Atlantis on their own accord to see the horse races at the Hippodrome. Although no gambling is allowed, the horse races at the Hippodrome is the Atlanteans' national past time.
The Twist: One of the jockeys is murdered, a rider named Hyppolytos, and the PCs are drawn into the mystery. The actual murderer is a man named Cleonastes.
The Climax: finding the clues and questioning the right people will bring Cleonastes out in the open. the PCs' solving of the mystery will cause Cleonastes to panic. The PCs must stop him before he jumps off the highest turret of the Hippodrome!

Atlantean Adventure Scenarios

Yes, I am an Atlanteologist. I was watching a lot of movies on Atlantis yesterday, and I spent hours watching different movies present their arguments about Atlantis. Some of the movies sucked (one of them was pro-Secret Society). Anyhow, I present the following scenarios for gaming in Atlantis. The world that is presented in these Scenarios can be the GURPS Romantic Atlantis (found in GURPS Atlantis), or Atlantis: The Second Age roleplaying game.

The Scenarios are presented in Premise, the Twist, and the Climax format from Feng Shui. So they are bareboned, allowing you to build your own adventure for your group.

Adventurers of Atlantis

Premise: There has been a rash of kidnappings of young women of late. Something the PCs scoff of until one of their girlfriends disappear.
The Twist: A strange old man is found by the PCs, who is actually an Atlantean Theorist. The PCs chase the wierd little man, only to enter a dimensional rift through space time and end up in the city of Atlantis.
The Climax: The PCs are told that a group of Lemurians are attacking Atlantean interests in Magan (modern day Kenya). The PCs battle it out with the Lemurians in Maganese lands.
The Closing: The PCs return home, and one of the PCs is given the feeling that the Atlanteans might call upon them again.

Heroes of Atlantis
Premise: The Atlanteans call on the PCs again, transporting them to the City of Atlantis while they dream. The Atlanteans tell the PCs that the Lemurians they fought are in the Hordelands of Eria (Modern Day Utah). The Atlanteans want the PCs to investigate.
The Twist: The Lemurians are investigating the ruins of a possible laboratory, but they themselves are attacked by Monsters. (Use any monster you like, DM).
The Climax: The PCs must band with their enemies to defeat a powerful monster.

Sorcerer of Atlantis
Premise: An Atlantean Sorcerer has gone rogue, researching the Philosopher's Stone. The Atlanteans must call on the PCs again, transporting them after they had their time in the Gym.
The Twist: The Philosopher's Stone requires living beings to be manufactured. The sorcerer wants to create a Homunoculus in the shape of his dead wife (a living human by Alchemy).
The Climax: The PCs must try to defeat the sorcerer either through negotiation or through force, before he creates his Homunoculus.